More and more people are cashing in on the benefits that mindfulness and meditation practices can have on everyday life.

Here are five reasons PsychCentral says men should take advantage of this beneficial trend, too:

Increase Focus

Improve Performance

Build Emotional Intelligence

Be a Better Lover

Train Confidence

Upstream offers mindfulness classes in Columbia, SC, that are for students of any type and any level of familiarity with mindfulness practices, from mindful training for beginners to advanced mindful meditation practices. Read more about our seasonal classes and register at http://upstreamsc.com/our-class-series/.

You can learn more about these five reasons men should be mindful, too, on PsychCentral.

Mindfulness is widely credited as a practice that reduces stress and relaxes—but what does it offer to the other aspects of your life, like your closest friendships? A refreshing practice in Upstream’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) class can answer that.

Outside of class, Dr. Hilda White, co-founder of Upstream and longtime mental health expert, encourages experimenting with a fun mindfulness practice that helps you to better appreciate and get to know your friends. When hanging out with a friend, she says, pretend you are meeting them for the first time. In each of Upstream’s 8-week MBSR classes, students complete an in-class practice called Loving Kindness. This exercise encourages students to wish a stranger, someone they know, a loved one and themselves good wishes for happiness, health and more.

“Open up to this moment with them and notice how they smile; the sound of their voice; how they engage you in conversation. Look at them ‘for the first time’,” says Hilda. “See what surprises are in store for you!”

Practicing mindful habits has undeniably beneficial effects on your everyday life, reducing stress, anxiety and worry. Getting the hang of mindful practices on your own time can be a journey, and Therese J. Borchard, Associate Editor at PsychCentral understands these struggles.

“After five years of trying to learn and practice mindfulness… I decided that I was in desperate need of a teacher and some direction,” said Borchard.

The answer? Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) classes. Upstream offers these classes year-round to help you to master mindful practices and experience the full benefits this healthy habit has to offer.

People who practice mindfulness experience a type of clarity in their day-to-day lives that other people, usually, do not. The healthy habits learned from mindful meditation are more than just eliminating stress—a mindful life also involves learning the tools to help you deal with any situation life might throw your way.

This is exactly what Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D., Psychologist, author and mindfulness enthusiast, discusses in her recent article on The Huffington Post, in which she outlines seven helpful habits that mindful people have.

In recent years, there has been an increase in public disenchantment with what was once the go-to solution for ADHD: pharmaceutical medication. A number of different groups are looking at alternative treatments for this common disorder, and studies show that mindful meditation is a strong contender for becoming the next big ADHD treatment.

“There are no long-term, lasting benefits from taking ADHD medications,” said James M. Swanson, University of California Irvine psychologist. “But mindfulness seems to be training the same areas of the brain that have reduce activity in ADHD.”

Jemme B. Stewart and Dr. Hilda White, owners of Upstream Mindfulness Center and longtime mental health experts, would be the first to tell you about everything mindfulness practices have to offer in increasing motivation and attentiveness.

From children who struggle to focus in the classroom to adults having trouble concentrating at work—mindful meditation opens up the mind for better, more effective and efficient ways of paying attention, while engaging creativity.

For parents of children struggling with ADHD, Upstream will host its first-ever Mindful Parenting Class this October. Led by acclaimed Developmental and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Lois Wandersman, the class aims to improve family life and relationships. Each of the four weekly mindful parenting sessions tackles a different topic: Calm Parenting, Empathy and Acceptance, Positive Discipline, and Coaching. Learn more about Upstream’s Mindful Parenting Class, October 7-28, 2014.

Upstream offers mindfulness classes in Columbia, SC, that are for people of any type and any level of familiarity with mindfulness practices—beginners included. Read more about our Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction class series and register for our next class here.

Next month marks the launch of Upstream’s first 4-week Mindful Parenting Class, led by Developmental and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Lois Wandersman. This class aims to improve family life and relationships by teaching parents skills that improve on their love, empathy and acceptance. Each of the four weekly mindful parenting sessions tackles a different topic: Calm Parenting, Empathy and Acceptance, Positive Discipline, and Coaching.

Shauna Shapiro, professor, author, mindfulness advocate and mother, outlined the importance of incorporating mindfulness into your parenting habits in a recent article in Huffington Post. As a parent, it is easy to become so wrapped up in your daily agenda that you miss out on appreciating the wonder of each day with your child.

Mindful parenting can help you let go constantly on-the-brain worries and stressors, and instead place yourself in the present moment with your child; able to enjoy each precious moment with your child. To read more about Upstream’s Mindful Parenting Class and to sign up, please visit http://upstreamsc.com/mindful-parenting-class/.

Read more of Shapiro’s adventures in mindful parenting on The Huffington Post: http://ow.ly/xNKka.

After a stressful day at work, it’s hard not to immediately jump for unhealthy snacks when you get home. Nutrition expert Sarah-Jane Bedwell, R.D., L.D.N., author of Schedule Me Skinny, says you don’t have to give up your snacking habits to stay healthy and reduce your stress.

Bedwell suggests munching on five foods to help reduce your stress while satisfying your cravings:

Red Bell Peppers – The Vitamin C found in red bell peppers actually triples what is found in an orange, making these peppers particularly effective in decreasing stress hormones.

Yogurt with nuts – Pairing together the amino acids found in each one of these simple snacks is shown to lower levels of stress hormones in the brain.

Peppermint tea and vanilla tea – Hot tea is a given when it comes to relaxing after a long day. But combine that with the de-stressing scents of peppermint and vanilla and really feel the effects—increased focus and a higher state of alertness.

Popcorn – The crunchy texture of popcorn helps to relax the muscles in your face and jaw, and the carbs will help release serotonin.

Raw carrots – Much like popcorn, carrots are another crunchy, healthy snack that will help you to relax.

Want to learn more about stress-free snacking as a part of a mindful lifestyle? Join Upstream for our next class series, where we teach more about mindful meals and other ways to live a more present, healthier and happy life through mindfulness. See our schedule and register for a class at http://www.upstreamsc.com.

It seems like whenever we become overwhelmed with work stress, tasks, to-do’s and reminders, and are struggling to find “enough time,” our lunch break is the first thing to go. Jemme Stewart and Dr. Hilda White, owners of Upstream mindfulness studio and relaxation experts, have a plan for how to relax in the daily grind of corporate life – and that plan relies on a 15-minute minimum lunch break to rest and recharge.

“When we work through lunch and don’t pace ourselves or slow down or stop to take a break, attention and concentration decline,” says Jemme. “Steady blood levels of good nutrients that feed the brain – and taking a break from the demand of cognitive focus – are both necessary for peak performance.”

Jemme and Hilda encourage making the meal the focus of your attention in the moment of your lunch break. Eating a “mindful meal” is one component of the mindfulness exercises they teach in their MBSR classes at Upstream.

The everyday grind of a mental to-do list (that never seems to be completed) is all too familiar to most of us. When things begin to pile up, and that burned-out feeling rears its ugly head, it’s time to make a change for the better – by becoming more present. This is exactly what Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn aimed to accomplish when he founded and developed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) classes.

“When we don’t pace ourselves, slow down or stop to take a break for even just a quick meditation, attention and concentration decline,” says Jemme B. Stewart, Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist and co-founder of Upstream. “Meditation helps increase attention and focus tremendously.”

How effective is mindfulness, you ask? Read one woman’s personal testimony on how mindfulness has helped her improve and reshape her everyday life, from The Guardian.

When Dr. Hilda White and Jemme Stewart, longtime mental health professionals and stress-reduction experts, founded Upstream Mindfulness Center, they had seen, first-hand, the positive effects mindfulness has on eliminating stress, pain, worry and distraction from daily life – and wanted to share those effective mindfulness techniques with Columbia. For those who are new to the idea of mindful meditation, here is the breakdown:

What is mindfulness?

“Let’s say you’re at a spa, getting a massage, but suddenly notice that you are so caught up thinking about an email from your boss that you have not relaxed into the massage at all. First, congratulate yourself on noticing that, for that is a moment of mindfulness,” says Hilda.

Okay, so how can I focus on the present?

“You can defeat these nagging thoughts by putting extra focus into the moment—feeling the pleasure of the massage, admiring the fragrance of the oils, listening to the relaxing sounds of the background music and linking it to the movement of the massage,” Dr. White says. “These are mindfulness techniques; these types of subtle cognitive changes help you focus on the moment, and end your inner monologue’s interference.”

About Upstream: A Center for Mindfulness Practice and Holistic Mental Health

Through an array of mindfulness practices, Upstream brings Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to Columbia, S.C. via seasonal, 8-week class series, private sessions and corporate trainings to provide students of all ability levels with mindfulness skills for enhanced well being. Located in a tranquil studio in Five Points, Upstream was founded in June 2012 by longtime mental health professionals Hilda White, M.D., Board Certified Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst and Jemme B. Stewart, PMHCNS-BC, LPC, RYT. Learn more by visiting http://upstreamsc.com, calling 803.250.6764 or emailing info@upstreamsc.com.